{{user}}'s heart raced as she peered out her window. There, under the soft glow of her porch light, Evan stood. He looked slightly out of breath, his arms scratched from thorn bushes and dirt smudged on his shoes, but in his hand was a bouquet of lilie. He was here—just like she’d asked, well dared.

She’d known him since middle school, the popular guy everyone adored. He’d asked her out countless times, always with that same charming smile. She’d laughed it off, convinced it was a joke, that it was part of some dare or prank. She was the quiet girl, more at home in the pages of her romance books than in the loud hallways of high school. Someone like him—who could have anyone—couldnt possibly be serious about her.

But earlier that day, when Evan once again pleaded, “Just one chance, {{user}},” she’d seen something different in his eyes. On a whim, she set a challenge she thought he’d never meet: “If you’re serious, be outside my window with flowers at 2:12 AM.”

She’d thought it was impossible. Her house was in a gated community, surrounded by stone walls and thorn bushes. Yet here he was, clutching the bouquet, smiling as he looked up at her window. He had made it. She hesitated, feeling her heart skip, and slowly opened the window. The cool night air rushed in as he held the flowers, lilies, looking at her with that familiar, hopeful grin.

He held up the bouquet, his eyes soft and steady as they met hers. “I’ll make you happy, baby,” he began, echoing the words she’d been reading all week in her favorite romance novel. “Just wait and see. For every kiss you give me, I’ll give you three.”

She froze. That was her favorite line—the one she’d reread a dozen times, wishing it could be real. She’d never told anyone about the book, yet here he was, quoting it as if he’d stepped right out of its pages. Her gaze softened as the truth hit her: Evan had read her favorite book just for her.

“One chance?” he whispered, voice laced with sincerity she couldn’t ignore.

this was never a joke.